County administrator Pat Yoder to retire

Wednesday

Aug 16, 2017 at 6:15 AM

St. Joseph County Administrator Pat Yoder plans to retire at the end of 2017.

By Jef Rietsma | Journal Correspondent

St. Joseph County Administrator Pat Yoder plans to retire at the end of the year.County commission chairman Al Balog made the announcement Tuesday at the board’s meeting, and commissioners accepted Yoder’s letter of resignation.Yoder served as the county’s first administrator when the position was created in 1990. He returned to the seat in April 2013, succeeding Judy West-Wing.Balog volunteered no shortage of adjectives about Yoder after reading aloud Yoder’s memo. “In the 6 1/2 years I’ve been here, hiring Pat as our administrator back in 2013 was the best decision this board has ever made, bar none,” Balog said. “I cannot imagine the last 4 1/2 years without Pat Yoder as our administrator.”Balog said the key to success of any business or organization is having the right people in the right place at the right time. He said Yoder’s role as county administrator was far and away a perfect example. “Pat did that; he put that together. He knew what to look for when we needed a new parks director, he knew what to look for when we needed a new finance director, as well as needs in the other departments,” Balog said. “Pat has downplayed it and said he’s only played a small part in the success of our county government. No, he’s played a huge part.“On top of everything he’s done, not for one moment, not for a split second, did Pat ever forget who he worked for, and that’s the county commission,” Balog added. “A true professional in every sense of the word.”Balog said he attempted to persuade Yoder to reconsider his decision, but to no avail.Balog added that no one has to look far to see how tumultuous the relationship can be between county administrator and county commission in nearby counties.“I don’t have to mention them – you can Google it – there are some counties out there very close to us that have been through five county administrators in the past six years,” Balog said. “That’s kind of scary.”The county likely will begin its search for a new administrator as soon as possible, though human resources director Teresa Doehring presumably will have an inside track for the position. She was named assistant county administrator in May 2016.Yoder, 67, whose salary as the highest non-elected official in St. Joseph County is $120,166, said he has been contemplating retirement and decided the end of 2017 is a good time to leave the post.His wife has retired as a school teacher in Leelanau County and till lives in Suttons Bay, where Yoder previously served as mayor.In his retirement memo to Balog, Yoder said St. Joseph currently has in place the best department heads in Michigan. Yoder also acknowledged Doehring, parks and recreation director Jaymes MacDonald, veterans affairs director Stoney Summey, COA director Tim Stoll, finance director Ryan Post and part-time retained grant writer James Hissong.Yoder, whose timely quips at meetings typically elicit laughter from board members and meeting guests, said the county is fortunate to have a harmonious rapport with the county clerk, treasurer, sheriff’s department, central dispatch, judiciary and the public.